Our Reality
by ReiyaHaku
Summary: Ever had those moments when you feel something's off? Well, my daily life is like that and I can figure out why. Since I got into a car accident, my life changed and everything around me acts as if nothing changed. Thanks goodness I have my new friends at the Literature Club at school.
1. Prologue

_**Autor's Note:**__ It won't be often, and I'll try making it as short as possible. Firstly, English _

_is not my mother language and I (technically) learned it alone, so there will be culture-based mistakes and such that I'm not aware of. Please, notify me if you find those because it's not my intention to offend anyone. All that said, enjoy!_

**PROLOGUE**

Did you ever had those moments when you feel that something is off, but you don't know what it is? Well, my everyday life is like that. You may be thinking that I'm exaggerating, acting as someone who is thirsty for attention and pity from others, but believe it or not, my life was normal until last year when I got in a car accident and sent to ER.

Before the accident, my life was basic, normal, and some would even state that it was boring. Not that I minded though. I was living the average life of a 17 years-old boy like most would. The difference was my lack of "adventure" such as parties, travelling with friends etc.… It's not that I was unsocial. I had friends, more than you'd expect, but those things weren't my thing. Eventually I'd go out with my friends to "breathe some air" and that's it. Not talking too much and only laughing if everyone does it.

Pretty boring, right? The truth's not always beautiful and full of wonder. Sometimes it's just plain and average. Well, it _used_ to be like that until the accident.

I don't remember much, however, the experience itself was terrifying. Anyone who passed through the same thing would say that they were dying for sure… The world was darkness and any sound were faint as if it was distant. For some reason, it felt like my mind and body were far away from each other, and as time passed my consciousness was fading bit by bit until it was all oblivion…

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"Reiya…" someone said, although it was faint "Reiya… Reiya…"

Opening my eyes were hard since they felt heavy and my body was exhausted although I haven't done any kind of exercise. Maybe having a near-death experience is more demanding than we think? Well, as soon as I got to open my eyes, a stunning figure was before me. It took a little while for my vision to gain focus and see my surrounding clearly and realize that I was in a hospital.

A sudden weird sensation made me dizzy and sick and sore. My body wanted to throw up even though there were nothing in my stomach. I took a brief breath and asked with the little strength I had left:

"W-Where a-am I…" those were the only words I could mutter. The answer was clear, but I couldn't think of any other questions.

The figure who was before me, a beautiful girl with light brown hair and green eyes. She was wearing a school uniform and seemed sad as her eyes were gazing to the nothingness of the white floor, hoping for something to happen – I supposed.

"Where am I?" I asked again with more strength in my voice while trying to sit up

"Reiya?!" the girl screamed scared and surprised at the same time. She rushed to my side and gently lying me down. "You silly. Don't force yourself." Her voice was suddenly calm and concerned.

"I'm at the hospital, right?"

"*sigh*… You worried me. All of us.", she said with a sweet smile.

"Us?", I was confused, and my tone gave that up.

"What do you remember, Reiya?", her voice changed as well as her expression. She was worried to the point her eyes were about to drop tears.

"Not much…" my voice trailed off. I tried to be sincere, but I didn't want to hurt her feelings so that made me anxious to talk. "I know my name and I vaguely remember… A car, I think. It hit me."

"And before that?", she was trying to be tough, but I could see in her eyes that she was about to break down in tears.

"Just a few things… My mom and dad, and, er, home, I guess. It's blurred."

"And m-me?"

I shook my head 'no' and that was what the last drop that made her cry and hug me so tight that hurt. Soon after, the nurses came in and took her to another room while the only doctor who entered the room made the check-up procedures to see how I was.

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I have no idea what happened that day at the hospital, but I'm pretty sure it has to do with why everything feels _off_ in my life since the accident. You'll see why…


	2. Chapter 1: Our Club

_**Author's notes:**__ sorry that it took too long to be published, but there were some problems with my schedule (even had to rush things a little, sorry). My goal is publishing one chapter per week and I hope I can achieve that, however, there's a high probability of it being one chapter per two weeks…_

**CHAPTER I: Our Club**

It's been a week since I left the hospital. My body's still a bit weak, but the doctor told me that some light morning exercises would help me in my recovery. That'd be great if I was the sportive type, however, I must admit that it could be good for me, I mean, maybe I end up enjoying it and hit the gym for once. It would be _great_ to have a good build and all. Who knows I might get a girlfriend? Until then, I should just start with some simple exercises.

"What time is it?" I mumbled while I lazily stretched my arm to grab my phone to look the time.

**6 : 52 a.m.**

"You got to be kidding me…"

Lady Luck was not on my side today. I set the alarm for '7:00' and for some reason I managed to wake up just a few minutes before it. Obviously, that didn't make me happy at all it's just got me frustrated and annoyed by the fact that I could only lie on my bed without sleeping.

Each second seemed like an eternity for me. Oddly enough, I wished for the alarm to go off as soon as possible, but it simply went slow as if trying to torture me. Part of me was screaming for motivation to get up while the other part was struggling to go back to sleep.

Beep dee dee! Beep dee dee! Beep dee dee!

Finally, the alarm on my phone went off. Officially, it was the first day of the Third Term, although it was on its second week already. I knew that it would be a hellish term because of all the missed classed and I needed to catch up with everybody as soon as possible. Despite that, I was happy to go back to school and my daily life. Endless homework and studying sessions were nothing compared to being in a hospital.

I took a long and deep breath as I sat up on the edge of my bed to stretch up my body. Some joints made funny noises like an old person, but that could be explained due to my lack of exercising. Maybe my body wasn't used to moving yet, I think. That aside, my routine followed as always.

Brushing my teeth, taking a shower, putting my uniform on, having breakfast then leaving home. Straightforward like that and with sparing time before the bell at 9:00… That could be the case if it wasn't for a little detail: Sayori.

"(sigh) She's late…" I said. The word 'again' was almost a must, but since it was my first day, then I couldn't say much, although I was damn sure she was late everyday in this past week.

"Wait for me, Reiyaaaa!" a girl who was behind shouted as she ran towards me.

"You are late." I stated as my steps went faster.

"Jeez! You were going to leave me behind!" she pouted.

"Well, I don't want to be late for my first day."

"Eh? So, you became Mr. Goody Two-Shoes?" she teased me while covering her mouth with her hand to hide her smirk.

"T-that's not it!" I stuttered in defeat. She got me there, I must admit it. "I will let that pass since you brought me homework last week… not letting you copy it though."

"What? Meanie…" she pouted. "I brought your homework the _entire_ week."

"Yeah, and it was mostly full of sketches and silly drawings [of food, I think]"

"Hehehe… I was a bit hungry during the classes."

"Because of that I had a hard time figuring out the subjects."

"Let's leave it all behind and begin a new period of our lives!" she proudly exclaimed as she looked up in her speech.

"Nice try… still not borrowing my notes to you."

"Eh? After all I said and done for you? You're a meanie person."

We laughed it off and kept on our way towards school. For some reason, it was good to share some laugh with a friend. Sayori and I have been friend since we were children, and that's lasted throughout all these years. It's those cases of "long-term friendship" that allows you to be like siblings.

Honestly, that's the case for her, but for me, everything is new. All my memories before the accident are blurry and confusing as if my brain's trying to block it. According to the doctor, it is like a post-traumatic amnesia due to my head being hit hard. He also said that I might recover some of them under the right conditions, however, I should avoid strong mental stress for some time, at least until I make some good new memories, or it could have the opposite effect and make me forget even more.

What made me more uncomfortable was the fact that he said all that with a serious face the whole time as if my mental health was hanging by a thin line. Maybe I should be cautious and play safe for the time being. No more scary games and movies for me.

Sayori saw me spacing out and probably figured it out what I was thinking. She knew about my memory loss and even so, she treated me like she always did – I suppose. Perhaps talking about it became a _taboo_ for everyone who knows me since my parents have been treating me the same way as well. Doctor's advice? Who knows.

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It was one hell of a first day! Classes were brutal! Well, mostly because I'm a week late, although it shouldn't feel so hard, in my opinion of course.

There were a lot of people asking about me things like "how I was", "if there were any scars in my body" – which surprisingly didn't – and "how it happened". Those questions were the most common but there were so many that I couldn't keep track of them or if I _actually_ could give them a proper answer. Weirdly enough, none of them asked or commented about my memory loss.

My theory was confirmed. There was something wrong. I don't know what the doctor told my parents, but if no one is talking about it then Sayori must said something which made them take it as a "taboo topic". Maybe I will try figuring it out, but not this soon. Probably after I managed getting more information on it. I don't want to step in anything that might prove to be dangerous or put all my parents' efforts to make it secret into the trash.

At least, it was time to go back home. The club activities were starting and I'm not in the mood to reject an invitation to any club.

"Reiya!" Sayori shouted as she dashed into the the classroom towards me. "Ready to go?"

"Of course! I was just about to go back home."

"Jeez! You forgot?!" She frowned as in a disappointment gesture.

"What are you talking abou…" I started saying and then remembered. _Damn it_, I thought. "I'm visiting your club, right?"

"Yes, you dummy!" she jokingly scolded me with a smile as soon as she realized that I quickly remembered it. "One of the members even made cookies knowing that there'd be a new member!"

"New member?" I asked not understanding why she talked like _I_ was already a member. "I said before I was only giving it a look!"

My words were empty for she grabbed me by my wrist and dragged me all way to the club classroom. Surely, I could just stop and stand still because I was stronger than her and it would be an easy feat, but I let my strength go as I kept thinking of those cookies and that I could find some beauties there. I sold myself for something so low…

As soon as we got into the club's classroom, Sayori introduced me:

"Hey, guys! This is Reiya, our newest member!" she first presented me to a girl with green eyes and coral brown hair. "This is Monika, our club's president!" she proceeded to pointed to another girl with purple eyes and hair whose face was showing shyness and she seemed to be distant while surprised with my presence. "This is Yuri, our vice-president!" finally she pointed to a small girl who also had eyes and hair of the same color, but it was pink this time. "And this is Natsuki, the one who made the cookies for you!"

"W-w-what are you talking about, Sayori!" Natsuki stuttered while her face was red. She tried hiding it by turn her face, but it only made she look cute. "I only made them because I wanted to, not because of some stupid new member or anything!"

I admit that I expected the club to have more girls than boys since it was supposed to be about literature and stuff – for some reason, I don't think guys are into that kind of thing, me included. That's because we mostly like to ready some _unusual_ kind of literature. That said, I wasn't expecting the club to have so many beautiful girls, in fact, all of them are!

"Good to see you again, Reiya!" Monika said before giving me a sweet smile.

"Good to see you too!"

"You know each other?" Sayori asked surprised.

"Yep. We were in the same class last time… we didn't talk much though." I stated, but it would be more accurate if I told them that we barely shared a conversation. She was, and still is, popular that I could not manage to get close to her.

"That's great!" Sayori happily shouted in excitement. "It must be fate playing a role here!"

"S-so, Reiya…" Yuri shyly began her first attempt of a conversation with me. "What do you like reading?"

"Hmm… Manga?" I knew that question would eventually come, but not so soon. It got me off guard and I answered it to seem like a joke, but it didn't convince her.

"Oh… not much of a reader, I presume…" she spoke sadly as she gazed down.

"But that can change!" I don't know why I was trying to impress her, but her gaze earlier broke my heart and made me feel guilty, I think.

"Don't rush it, everyone!" said Monika stepping a bit closer to me as if standing for me, the newest member. "You see, Reiya, Natsuki keeps her manga in our club room.

"M-m-m-" flustered, Natsuki was stuttering while her mouth was stuck between Monika and Manga.

"So, you like it too?" I asked her, but she seemed too focused in Monika to hear what anyone has to say.

"Manga is literature as well!" Natsuki finally shouted as she tried to chase after Monika who was giggling all the time while avoiding her.

"Did you like it, Reiya?" Sayori asked just before jumping in front of me with a large smile that waited for a positive answer.

"Hold on, everyone!" I raised my voice trying to not be rude. "I never said I'd join the club!"

Silence. The only thing that could be heard. Every club member was static and had a clearly surprised expression on their faces. They all let their shoulders down almost like a crushing news was shoved on the face of their hopes and dreams.

For a moment, I felt like a huge jerk and could even picture myself as the bad guy from some story. It definitely was _not_ fair! How could I reject the hopes and expectations of those cute girls? I'm not the type of guy to enter a club only because there're cute girls – I must admit that as a man, I hope there are cute girls, but that's it, _hope_ not _condition_.

It breaks my heart seeing them sad, but what can be done? I barely read any books last year, and the previous one as well. How am I supposed to join the Literature Club? It'll be a joke…

Guilty… Guilty… Guilty… The feeling goes on and on. Seconds passed. Maybe even less than that, but the moment is an eternity of despair. Their said puppy eyes were stabbing me like sharp knives.

"(sigh) Okay…" I muttered almost regretting it. "I should give it a shot… I'll join the club."

Everyone quickly got happy and they cheerfully hugged each other like they'd just accomplished something big. Perhaps it was true, and I've just sold my soul for these cute girls' smiles.

"I'll get the forms for you to fill in!" Monika said as she rushed outside the room. Was she worried that I might go back on my decision? Smart move.

In the meantime, we ate the cookies Natsuki had made. Some were left for Monika to eat as well, and we did make a great effort to not eat them. I don't know if she is aware of how good her cooking skills are, but if she keeps it going the way it is, then I think she won't have any problems living alone or married in the future. We complimented her and the reaction was obvious. Natsuki blushed and said the exact phrase I had in mind: "o-of course I'm good at cooking! This is a piece of cake for me!"

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Monika didn't take long to get back, but it was enough for us to share a bit of a conversation. And even with the little information I got from them I could realize their overall character… Yuri was the type of shy girl which can be warm and gentle if you get close enough to her. Natsuki is the kind of person who's cold and arrogant-like on the outside, but inside she is cute, girly and shy. And then there's Sayori who is, well, Sayori. The only one whom I could share a proper conversation until now was Monika.

I signed the forms and handed them to Monika who warmly smiled at me and said:

"Well, Reiya… Welcome to our club!"

That phrase was the beginning of new stage in my life and I'm sure _good_ things will come from this!

**End of Chapter I…**


	3. Chapter 2: Our Poems

**CHAPTER II: Our Poems**

After everything was set, we chatted for a couple of minutes before Monika suddenly clapped her hands and started talking:

"Well, Reiya, now that you joined the club and got to know our members a little more, I'd like to start our activities!"

"That's alright! I'm ready for what comes!" I said confidently although I wasn't sure about what the club's activities were. "I just hope I don't have to read a book due tomorrow, right…?"

Everyone laughed as I got tomato red. The embarrassment made me frustrated and relieved as I realized that such things wouldn't happen. Also, I must admit that it was a dumb thing to ask…

"Hahahaha Reiya!" Sayori tried to speak while laughing. She had her hands on her belly and tears were coming down her eyes. "Hahaha… The face you made! Hahaha… It was priceless!"

It took all four of them some time to recover, but Monika was the first to look at me and give an answer to my dumb question:

"It was indeed funny, but _no_, Reiya, I won't ask for you to read a book in one day." She giggled and kept on. "It'd be too harsh on a new member, although there're some books even Yuri, our fastest reader, would have trouble doing so."

"President!" Yuri exclaimed and she blushed and hid her face behind her book. "Don't say such embarrassing things!"

"But it's how it is!" Monika replied in a singing tone. The others agreed with their head almost in synchronism.

"That's super true!" Sayori stated. "If she's serious enough, I think she can read three, no, five books a day!"

"Okay that's a bit of an exagger-" I tried to defend her.

"Oh, that's true! I remember it!" Monika began. "There was this one time when we were tight on schedule and Natsuki was sick, so we had to-"

"Please, everyone…" Yuri was still with her face buried on her book, but it was obvious that she was blushing.

"Okay, okay" Monika said after giggling. "Let's not lose _more_ focus. Ahem! Well, Reiya, we all know that you're not that hyped about reading, but not everyone starts like that. Actually, my opinion, most people usually are a bit like you-"

"A bit like me?"

"And they often discover their interest on reading little by little." She kept on, ignoring me. "That's why we're all going for poems!" She gave more stress on the last word and she smiled and looked at everyone.

"Poems?!" we exclaimed in unison. The girls were blushing a little which gave away a feeling that it could be really embarrassing.

"C'mon!, guys!" Monika exclaimed and pouted. "It'll be a good way for us to know each other better!"

"Hold on!" I stood up and began. "The way you're saying it makes me think we're writing the poems, and not reading them. Hahaha" I joked as an attempt to see if she would buy it.

"That's right!" she looked at me and showed me a sweet grin. "Feeling a little bit embarrassed?"

"N-not really." I faced the other way, but it was obvious that I was blushing. Now I understand why the girls were like that. However, the actual reason would be me since there's no other male member. "I don't think it's a good idea…"

Everyone, but Monika, seemed to relax given their reaction. Of course, they would, as far as I know, poems are meant to show one's feelings and emotions and I don't think we are that close to be sharing things like that.

"Why you think so, Reiya?" Monika asked as she got closer to me. Her eyes met mine and stared at me which seemed like an eternity.

"W-well…" I stuttered. "I'm not as good as you guys on stuff like that and I think it'd be unfair with the other members and-"

"Look what we have here…" she giggled, walked away from me and got closer once again to pinch my cheeks. "What cute! Trying to get away with excuses." She nodded her index finger at me and kept on. "I can guarantee you that we're all embarrassed and that's why we're doing it, so can learn from us."

"(sigh) Okay…" I agreed, defeated.

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Soon after I got home, I let myself drop on my bed and let a sigh of relief. Somehow, I felt tired and sore, but maybe that would be my body under recover.

I must admit that it was a fun day and, strangely, it seemed surreal enough for me to believe it was all made just for me like there was no other choice. For some reason, even if it was made up, I was fine with it. Well, why wouldn't I accept something like that? A club full of funny, smart and cute girls. Each of them with their charms and good points. Not a bad deal, right?

"What should I write now?" I wondered as I stared at the ceiling of my room hoping for an idea to pop up. "I don't want to make it seems like I didn't give it much thought, but also I don't want to complicate things and mess it up… What a dilemma!"

I wondered about some minutes before I decided to sit at my desk to focus on my poem which was meant to be trial poem to see my skills. Without motivation, I grabbed my pen and some paper and hoped for some idea or inspiration to come, but easier said than done.

Time on the clock was going fast as I faced the black paper. I looked some poems on the internet to get some reference, but it didn't help. Slowly, the frustration and anxiety grew giving me a headache.

**30 minutes later…**

"That should do!" I thought confidently although I knew it wasn't a masterpiece.

I folded the paper sheet and put it on my bag so I wouldn't forget it home. Relieved and satisfied with my work I went to bed and tried to sleep…

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I woke up with the alarm from my phone ringing into my ears. As usual, followed my morning routine. Exercising, showering, eating, changing, waiting [the always late] Sayori… Everything went as normal as it could get.

Classes were the same. Boring and never-ending, but there were moments which made it easier like when Sayori dozed off and got yelled at by the teacher. It may seem as if I'm the bad guy – that's what she says –, however, her seat is the _first_ in the row and I wasn't the only one who laughed because the jumped out of her desk when the teacher called her. After that, the time once again was slow and if it wasn't a sunny day, I would say that it was depressing.

The school bell rang, and everybody went to their clubs. I was no exception. Both me and Sayori walked to the club. Like in the previous day, all the club members were there doing what, I suppose, they usually do. It almost made me feel a _déjà vu_ because everything was virtually the same as yesterday.

"So, you didn't run away, Reiya." I heard Monika while I was putting my stuff on a desk.

"Why would I?" I said turning around.

"Dunno." She smiled. "Maybe we scared you a bit…" She joked just before clearing her throat to make her announcement. "Since everyone is here, let's start by sharing our poems!"

I grabbed my poem and rushed to my "desk". To be more precise, I rushed to what is supposed to be my desk since each member had their "favorite spot".

"Choose a person then share your poem with them." Monika spoke and looked at me before going on. "Reiya, you're our newest member, so I think it'd be fair if you could choose first."

"Oh… I… er…" wordless I could feel everyone staring at me while I tried to find out how to begin, better saying, who I should pick up. "I… er… Yuri!" I uttered.

I said her name without thinking, but on second thought it wasn't a "bad" choice because she probably is the most experienced and she seems the type of person who wouldn't be harsh criticizing despite being sincere. The other girls' faces were almost like a kid who wasn't the first to get a present. It broke my heart, but it had to be done, else it would only make it more awkward as I took my time to choose.

We both sat at desks facing each other while the other three were sharing their poems. They seemed to be having a good time doing so, probably because they already know each other, and now that I put some thought on it, I realize that when Monika said "it'd be a good way to know each other" she meant me and the girls. I must admit that I feel dumb in a weird and uncomfortable way.

"Hmm… Reiya?" Yuri said as soon as she finished reading the poem, which didn't take long. "Is it the first time you write a poem?"

"You can tell?"

She scanned it briefly then answered:

"Well, I can say it's really good for your first time-"

"_But_"

"But there are some, -er, bad habits, you may say, that beginners tend to commit when writing a story or poems." She began speaking like a real professional, but then she got flustered when she looked at me as if she felt guilty and shame. "B-b-but it's really good, Reiya. Soon enough you'll be as good as anyone here, even better."

I blushed. Now it seemed like her shyness was transmitted to me. The fact she had that cute shy side of her in contrast with the mature nature makes me feel warm and able to rely on her.

"Ahem! It's my turn to read yours now, right?" I said trying to avoid any uncomfortable quiet moments.

"R-right." Clearly, she still was flustered and quickly handed me her poem.

_**Ghost under the moonlight**_

_Reflections of my thoughts illuminated by the moon's glow._

_Calm and tender. It oscillates._

_I wander beneath the trails left by the moonlight._

_Yet dimmed by the surrounding darkness._

_The reverberating shadows of the night follows and whispers._

_Straying from my path I stare._

_And it stares back._

"Wow…" I was wordless, but somehow managed to utter a single sound, then I proceed to gather my thoughts and give her an appropriate answer. "This is great! A pro's work!"

"D-don't say such embarrassing things!" She said. Blushing, she faced the other way trying to hide it.

"Okay," I started as I was calming down. "I may have gotten a bit too much worked up, but I still mean it when I say that this is really, really good."

Before we could continue our little conversation, it was already time to share our poems with the other club members. In my case, the next on the line was Natsuki who came towards me as if it was an obligation – which I must agree up to certain point – and, surprisingly, she'd written it on a pinkish paper sheet.

I think everyone knows already that she's the type of girl who likes cute and adorable things but acts tough to hide it – the name for it was _tsundere_, I guess – and so far, I haven't figured out the reason. Maybe embarrassment? Fear of rejection? Well, whatever the reason, I'm sure that it won't be enough to make stop being her friend, that's if she considers me one.

"That's a good start, I guess." She promptly spoke while handing my poem to me.

For a moment I held myself up from laughing. Her attitude was exactly what I was expecting, although it hurt a little. Surely, she noticed it and handed her poem to me showing an angry expression mixed with flustering.

_**What do they know?**_

_Fishes swim_

_and birds fly._

_Dogs hunt_

_and cats chase mice._

_They do what they know,_

_but people know only how to try._

"Er…" Once again, I was wordless, however, the reason wasn't the same as it was with Yuri. "I think it's kinda… Different…" I felt a chill go down my spine. It certainly wasn't the right choice of words. "I can't find the right words, you know, an amateur like me wouldn't know, but I can say it's really good!" Luckily, I made up for my previous mistake as fast as I could.

"O-of course it's good!" she blushed as she looked at me – she had bought it. "And yours isn't bad. In fact, it's well written for an amateur like you'd just said."

I wasn't sure if it was a compliment or not, however, I managed to not make things complicated between us. Weird enough, there're not any reasons why I should go to such lengths in order to make her happy. Maybe I know, deep down, or maybe I just don't want to get punched.

Next in the line was Sayori. The moment she sat before me I realized that I had no idea what kind of poem would come from her. I mean, supposedly we have been friends since long ago, thus I could be the best person to understand what she feels and thinks, if not the only person to do so. That thought made me grin (on the inside) while my blood rushed for the new. Questions popped up in my mind. What if she's the kind of deep and abstract person like Yuri? What if she can make poems as good as a professional? What if she's a genius and I am the only one who doesn't know?

"Here you go!" she said as she quickly handed me her poem first.

_**Wake up, sleepyhead**_

_The way you call my name in the morning…_

_Smiling as you rub my sleepy away._

_Making me feel lively like a sunshine._

_Sometimes you call me to play._

_Even when there is a rainy day,_

_You just wish it away._

_You make me smiley._

_You make me lively._

_That's our secret, at last._

_Now, it's time for breakfast._

"Okay…" I said. This time I wasn't wordless, rather astonished about how Sayori was just like her. "Don't get me wrong, but you did it this morning, the poem? And skipped breakfast, I'm sure…"

"Boo! I was expecting you to at least compliment me!" her tone and behavior was just like a kid's. "That's why I was late today."

"Just today?" I mocked.

"Meanie." She pouted and grabbed my poem when I let my guard down. "Let me see yours." It took her a moment before finishing it with a smile. "Wow! That's your poem! It's really, really, really good!"

"I'm grateful for the compliment, but I think you're exaggerating."

"Hehehe It may be true, but it's still your poem!"

She smiled at me as if she was having the best time of her life. For once, I thought that seeing how other girls behave might give me a hint on how they think and today I got my conclusions set in stone. That is: _I will never understand girls…_

Finally, it was Monika's turn. For some reason, I felt anxious and could feel her gaze at me almost as if she was expecting something to happen. Maybe she was just like Yuri, shy and self-conscious about her writing? Or maybe she's afraid that I might get unmotivated by great poems and drop out of the club? Those are reasonable worries, but still there's something more to it.

"Let's see what you did." She took my poem from my hands, which I wasn't holding tightly. It took her just some moments to read then she began. "It's good for starters."

"But there are a lot of amateur mistakes, right?" I said, disappointed.

She giggled and answered:

"Of course, there'll be mistakes. Even us make mistakes, but the important is o learn from them." She put the poem on the table and kept on. "Look, Reiya, the secret for a good poem is to try, and try, and try… Just write whatever comes to your your mind. If it's not good, do it again. Eventually, you'll go with the flow and let your heart do the job" She said while reaching for my chest and placing her hand where it was supposed to be then took her hand off me. "Another way to put it is _staying in the same place for too long will make you sink so just go with the flow!_"

I was astonished. That's a club president for you, not only that, but one of the best students in our year.

"You're right… uh, I could read your poem now…" those were the only words I managed to say.

She handed it to me and went silent, waiting for me to finish.

_**A new world!**_

_It was lonely and colorless._

_An empty place amidst nowhere._

_Suddenly, sparkles and noises reverberating._

_Something new had emerged._

_Creating me anew as I perceived,_

_I was there._

_Fresh sensations were carved in me._

_Burned in my memory as a curse._

_Fascinated and stunned I sought for more,_

_but found better._

_It was a window to a world._

_Deep and whole, stretching eternally into the infinity._

_Curious, I peered and realized._

_I looked outside._

_But the world looked inside._

"What about it, Reiya?" Monika asked as she realized I had finished reading.

"It's good! Really good!" I answered. "It's abstract just like Yuri's, even more, I dare saying."

"Really?" she giggled again. It never tires me. "Well, I wrote it when I had a, uh, epiphany… Something like that."

**01001111.01110101.01110010.00100000.01010000.01101111.01100101.01101101.01110011**

After those words from Monika, I felt an echoing sensation inside me. It was like a crowd screaming in a cave, but I couldn't grasp it's meaning. Strangely, at the same time, all those noises were almost silent. Because of that I spend the remaining time attempting to figure out what it was, and when I got back to myself, I already was in my room.

My day passed fast and I could only recall a few fragments. I remember that after everyone finished the poem sharing, we discussed about something then it was called a day off. If I'm not wrong, Monika gave us another assignment, but this time it was supposed to have a theme which I don't remember.

"Give me a break already!" I screamed in my head as I threw my head into the pillow.

My whole body was heavy and tired. All that echoing voices made it hard to relax or even accomplish the most basic things. So, it was expected to be fatigated…

_Reiya… Reiya… D y u re ber me… Pl se..._

**01001111.01110101.01110010.00100000.01010000.01101111.01100101.01101101.01110011**

Where am I?

?

?

?

?

It echoes...

** . . .**


	4. Chapter 3: Our Secrets

_**Autor's note:**__ It is been a while, so I tried to make two chapters to make it up (not that it will actually make up for it). Sorry for the delay!_

**CHAPTER III: Our Secrets**

The days went on and those words from Monika stayed behind although sometimes they still come to haunt me. Sincerely speaking, I didn't think they had some deep meaning, but for some weird reason, it bothered me as if there were a part of me that knew what it meant. I won't deny that I spend a good amount of time trying to figure it out, but the hours became days, and the days became weeks, and in the end, I just gave up and decided to shrug it off. My conclusion was that I shouldn't spend my time with it and miss a good time with my new friends. If it is meant for me to discover the meaning of it, so I will when the time comes. Until then, I'll be sure to make some good memories to remember in the future.

Or so I thought…

It was New Year's Eve. So far, everything was "normal". Better saying that it was normal for _us_ since our lives were way off common sense, it was fun and lively, almost like it was from a manga. There's no denying it was a perfect life to live, but, for some reason, that's what bothered me, the perfection. I may seem as if I'm complaining for the sake of it, and in any other situation you'd be right it I didn't explained that I was bothered by the literal perfection present in my daily life. At first, it felt like paradise, a world without pain, loss, crimes, tears… then it felt artificial, like game that you never loses no matter how many times you play simply because you _cannot_ lose, and that takes away the reason to play it. Afterall, what's the meaning in playing a game you know that you're going win, even if you do nothing?

Getting back on track, I decided to investigate the reason behind this life I had and unravel the truth about why I can't regain my memories, and why everyone avoids it every time I try talking about it. New Year's Eve was the perfect time for it because while the club member would be distracted in the festival, I would investigate things and as soon as I managed to get the information that I wanted, I could go back.

**01001101 01011001 00100000 01010011 01000101 01000011 01010010 01000101 01010100**

I looked the time at my phone. It was 22h31, meaning I had about less than an hour and half to investigate and come back before the fireworks. In fact, I had to come back with some spare time, otherwise I might have to make up some good explanation for why I didn't watch the fireworks with them. Certainly, there wasn't any idea popping up in my mind. Maybe I could think something up in the way back.

Before I realized, I was already far from the festival that was taking place in the neighborhood's shrine. Honestly, I had no lead on how to begin my investigation despite being so assertive about doing so.

"Seems like I have to start from zero, right?" I muttered to myself while taking a long breath to think. Indeed, the amount of clues and information I gathered throughout the year were not enough to help me formulate a theory or give a hint. "Maybe, I'll go to the club's room…"

The idea came from nothing and somehow felt the right thing to do. I was excited and started running towards my objective which was not far from where I was. Surely, the way to school could take some time walking, but since it was night and there was no one in the streets, then running straight without stopping would give me the upper hand against time.

22h47. It took longer than expected, but I managed to get to school with a lot of spare time. Although I was breathless, I kept a quick pace towards the club's room in order to not waste a moment walking. Soon enough, the club's door was before me. I entered and began 1ooking 4 anything that wou1d give me a 1ead. Perhaps, looking through our thing$ would he1p. I fe1t $orry and gui1ty for doing something without their con$ent, and it was my 1# time 1ooKing into another's person privacy.

5\. Time was running out, and I didn't find anything to help me. The frustration made me loose my head for a moment. I started grabbing the closest things to me and threw it randomly until it hit the room's window shattering it. The sound of the shards hitting the floor and the ground outside made me freeze for a moment. Truth be told, I was screwed… Or not. If I confess and nothing happens, then it could be a sign that something _is_ wrong after all. That made me smile.

"Well, better clean this mess up since I don't want anyone to get hu-"

Once again, I froze. The broken window, it was gone. The glass was as new and no traces of shards in the floor. The questions: "Wh T happened?" and "Wa$ it 0n1y on my mind?" repeated repeated over and 0ver again while I tried to process what I'd just seeen. Uncomfortable, anxious$, and speech1eSs, that's what I was feeling. There was something wrong way beyond normal, funnily, it briefly remindeded me of a # m£. By saying "r mind&d", I actually mean that the idea seemed plausible.

"You had to ruin it, didn't you…" a female voice came behind me.

"What are you talking about?!" I shouted as I turned to see who it was, although I knew who the voice belonged to.

"It seems like I'll have to make some adjustments, again…"

"Again?"

"Don't worry. Everything's gonna be fine."

"What do you mean about it?!"

"I'll make it right, this time!"

"Wha- HOW MANY TIMES HAS IT HAPPENED?!"

. . .

YWx0ZXJpbmcgc3lzdGVtIGNvbmZpZ3VyYXRpb24=

YWRhcHRpbmcgc3lzdGVtIGR5bmFtaWNz

aW1wcm92aW5nIHJlYWxpdHkgdmFyaWFibGVz

cmVzZXR0aW5nIG1lbW9yeQ==

cmVjb25zdHJ1Y3Rpbmcgc2NyaXB0

ZGVidWdnaW5n

YWx0ZXJhdGlvbnMgY29tcGxldGVk

cmVzdGFydGluZyBzeXN0ZW0=

** I**


	5. Chapter 4: Our Club

**CHAPTER IV: New Beginning**

**CHAPTER I – Our Club**

Lately, I'm having some weird dreams, but as soon as I wake up, they vanish from my memory, leaving only traces behind, fragments that make me wonder about their meaning, that's if there's any… No helping it if I can't find an explanation for them, so better get ready or I'll be late.

**01010000 01001100 01000101 01000001 01010011 01000101 01010000 01001100 01000101 01000001 01010011 01000101**

My morning routine went as usual, but this time I made sure to have a bit more of a spare time to wait for Sayori. I even called her to be sure she would be on time, and despite it being a simple plan, it worked almost perfectly. Honestly, it managed to save just a little of time, so a normal-speed walking would make us late.

"C'mon, Reiya!" Sayori pouted as we kept a quick-paced walk to school. "You didn't need to wait for me!"

"What kind of person would leave their childhood friend behind!" I teased her letting myself be pulled by my wrist.

"I-I worry for your academic situation…" her voice trailed off in embarrassment.

Our rush made us get in school just before the bell. Luckily, the also managed to go to our classrooms on time. After that was the usual boring classes that had nothing special about them, so much for me that I spent most of my time doodling on my notebook. For some reason, the subjects were not hard and studying seemed unnecessary since I always managed to "review" it a week before the beginning of the exams. Not bragging, that's just how it is for me, no big deal. Of course, it makes some people a little angry at me when they talk to me, but since I don't have many friends besides Sayori, I don't know how to react to them.

Before I could notice, the last bell rang. Time to go home. Maybe, I will go to some arcade on my way back, or maybe I'll by that new manga that is on sale in the store near my house. I can't decide. Today I'm feeling too bored to do anything. Certainly, it's the laziness in me being more intense than usual, however, I needed to decide on something soon because I was the only person left in the classroom. Anyone who saw that scene would think that Reiya (me) was a lonely student without any club to attend to… Somehow it hurt, but I just didn't join any club due to my lack of interest.

"Jeez, Reiya!" Sayori dashed towards me. "I kept waiting for you outside hoping to catch- I mean, find you!"

"Why? Aren't you late for your club?" I played along although I smelled something suspicious in her behavior.

"I was just going to talk about!" she smiled while she uneasily stood before me, as a child who is about to ask for something.

"You want to talk about the Literature Club?"

"Yes! I want you to give it try!"

"I don't know…" I mumbled. "It doesn't seem like my type of club… Better of saying that _I_ am not the type person for the club."

"Please," she begged while showing a face that reminded me of a dog asking for food. "Natsuki even made cookies for you!"

"For me?" that caught me off guard, maybe I misheard something. "What do you mean?"

"Well, uh, I sort of, uh, have already told the club that I would bring a new member so…" she trailed off implying that I had no option.

"That leaves me no option… Sigh… Maybe I'll check it out and see what happens. There are cookies too! So why not?" I shrugged.

"Yay!" she jumped in happiness and grabbed me by the arm to almost drag me to the club's room. There was no escape anymore.

That was the day I sold myself for some cookies. Well, nothing was set in stone, so I could refuse joining the club in case I felt uncomfortable or out of place. Afterall, joining a club that you don't belong to may be worse for yourself and the members that gave their all to make time for you. The only thing that may feel bad for declining is making it seem like I visited the club for cookies. In fact, it was true, so perhaps I am a douchebag. All in all, it was to late for running away because we had arrived at the club's room. I entered followed by Sayori who joyfully shouted:

"Hello, everyone!" she pulled me close to them and kept on. "This is Reiya, our newest club member!"

"Newest club member?" I asked despite being ignored.

"Reiya, this is Yuri!" she pointed out to a tall girl with a long dark purple hair who gave off a mature aura. The girl was blushing a little and seemed to be very shy. "She's so smart!"

"P-please, don't say things like that!" she blushed even more, and she began hiding the lower half of her face with a book she was holding all the time. "N-nice to meet you, R-Reiya…"

"Nice to meet you to-"

"And this is Natsuki!" this time, the girl had a short pastel pink hair. She seemed a person with an attitude just by the way she looked at me while crossing her arms. "It was her that made the cooks for you!"

"I-It is not like I made them _just_ for you!" she blushed a little and face the other way before resuming her speech. "You _had_ to bring a boy, Sayori!"

"Nice to meet you too…" my voice trailed off as if I wasn't supposed to speak in that moment.

"But it's Reiya, my childhood friend." Sayori pouted, but quickly shrugged it off and proceeded on introducing me. "And finally, our club's president, Monika!"

"We met again, uh?" Monika said while smiling. She didn't change one bit; her long coral brown hair was kept in a ponytail by the same bow, and her aura still gave off the feeling of leadership along with an elegant beauty which could only fit someone like her. "How are you doing, Reiya?"

"Eh?! You already knew each other?!"

Sayori was in shock for a moment, and before she could talk, I greeted Monika feeling a bit uneasy, then proceeded to answer Sayori:

"Well, we attended the same class last year, so it was expected, I think…"

"You never change, Reiya!" She giggled like she was teasing me.

"Wha-eh?"

I was confused because we never really shared an actual conversation in the previous year. It was more like greetings and small talk to avoid an awkward moment, although I remember that once we had to paint a portrait of a person in class chosen by lottery. She was the first one to draw the paper and it was my name. Those were some awkward moments of avoiding eye contact. Even small talk couldn't fade the sensation of being stared at, even though it was necessary to make a portrait.

"Here it is!" Exclaimed Natsuki bringing her "homemade" cookies in a silver tray, probably from the home-economics room.

There weren't much but were enough for each member to eat at least one. She waited for all of us to have a bite before asking the obvious with a confident tone and pose which, I think, was to clearly hide her fear of it not tasting good:

"What do you think of my cookies?"

They were good, really good. She surely had a gift for baking, or I was just hungry. The verdict was given by everyone who complimented it, including me, of course. She blushed as we commented on how skilled at cooking she might be, and the girls were already setting a day to try her cooking, although Natsuki did not seem to agree with the idea out of embarrassment.

For some reason it felt _nostalgic_, almost like I have already seem this, but I shrug it off as soon as I realized that it was not worth fretting about it. The only thing that was not one bit nostalgic was the weird sensation that someone was staring at me, I was certain it was Monika who was doing so, but every time I tried to check on it, she had her eyes focused on her conversation with one of the girls. Call me delusional, or paranoiac, but it _is_ the same feeling I had when we were on the same class. Perhaps she is interested in me? No, too easy and romantic-like to be true… Do I have something weird on me? So far, I don't think I have ever had any problems with my appearance, not that I'm a reference on that matter. You could say that I am a little above the average… Maybe I'm just too self-conscious of it, and I'm overthinking it?

"Reiya?"

"Wha-?!" I muttered startled by the sudden voice calling my name. I turned around to look for the owner, it was Monika. She was giggling while covering her mouth in a cute attempt to hide it. "Come again? Did I do something?" I tried to correct my tone and regain my composure.

"You were spacing out."

"Oh."

"Thinking about something, or… someone perhaps?" she had a teasing smile on her face.

"N-no-nothing like that…" I blushed and tried to come up with the first idea that came to me. "Just, uh, thinking how things seemed to be going well."

"I hope so." She agreed with a smile that, for the first time, seemed forced.

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing…" she giggled and put her index finger on her lips as if trying to say _it's a secret_.

I shrugged it off unaffected by the curiosity that struck me. Turning my attention to the window I realize that it was a beautiful that to start something new…

** . . .**

**01010011 01110110 01101111 01101011 00100000 01101110 01110110 00100001**


End file.
